Allergy Shots - Side Effects?

I'm one of 4 kids, and we all had to take allergy shots when I was your daughter's age. Mom never had an epi pen for any of us. How the shots were given was a very low dose of the allergen that was gradually increased to the full level over a period of time. This allows the body to adjust to the allergens without being overwhelmed. I would keep the epi pen just in case your daughter does come in contact with something that does cause a severe allergic reaction, but I don't think the shots themselves should cause one. If your daughter doesn't like shots, the needles now are very small, and will *just* go under the skin, not into the muscle tissue, so she shouldn't feel them. One other thing...make sure you rotate her shots (one arm one week, the other arm the next, etc.) so she doesn't develop "pits" in her skin from the injections. Her doctor or nurse will explain how to give her the shots. It's much easier to give them at home on your schedule than trying to go to the dr every week. Our son's ENT told us to take him OFF his Zyrtec, because it wreaks havoc with the ears. Hope all this helps!

My sister just changed Dr. and they gave her an eppy pen when she started. Thats pretty routine, its just a precaution, in case she has a bad allergic reaction. I wouldn't read into it!!

two of my children get allergy shots. They are boys and started when they were 5 and 8yrs. old. They are now 8 and 10. It has been wonderful!!!! We have never had to use the epi pen. My 8 yr. old has never had any kind of reaction, my 10 yr. old, who has allergy induced asthma, in the beginning, would have to have his inhaler with him due to more frequent outbreaks. His only reaction has been sore arms and swelling around the shot...now, sometimes the swelling has been 6" by 3", but not all the time. They just got their shots last week and only a pea size of swelling for both of them. They get two shots each and now that they are maintaince (go once a month) they really dread the shots, but I just remind them how they were before shots.

My middle son developed horrible allergies/asthma a few years after we moved here, he had always been pretty sneezy in fall and spring, but no asthma. He was put on flovent, singular, and albuterol. He turned out to be allergic to Singular, we tried advair, he was also allergic to that.... We tried the allergy shots for about 3 weeks (M,W,F) and decided it just wasn't worth it. His arm would swell up, get red and really hot and if he did any kind of activity, he would have a terrible asthma attack, we just stuck it out with the meds, it was not easy..... but I'm happy to say now 7 yrs later, he only takes a zyrtec in the morning. He has not had an asthma attack in 4 yrs, we gradually weaned him off the flovent (under the advisement of an ENT) and he was fine. I don't know if this is typical or not, but this was our experience. Good Luck!
D. in Frisco

I have had allergy shots at various times throughout my lifetime. As I child, the worst reaction I had was an occasional swelling of the arm. As an adult, I would get really tired, which is how I feel when my allergies are active. Once I am at the end of my shots, I always feel better, and it lasts until we move to a different area of the country.

Since the shot is an injection of everything your child is allergic to, the epi-pen makes sense. As the dosage increases, there is always a small chance of a reaction.

Hope that helps!

I had allergy shots for several years in my early teens. The only reaction I ever had were knots around the area of injection. I think it helped my allergies a ton back then. Since having two babies, I think my allergies have changed and I need to start the shots again. So, I'm not sure if the shots are a permanent cure.

i always had allergy shots when i was a kid and i never had a side effect and you don't feel the needle ,is a lot better have a shot than taking all this medicaments and have side effects

gracyy:)

Hi T.,

I myself had bad allergies and asthma from about 2 weeks old. I did not get shots until I was in my 30's, and I had to have 2 (one in each arm) twice a week to start, then down to once a month after 8 years. My case was so severe, because when I was a child, a lot of doctors thought of allergies as a myth, and treating a child for them was pretty unheard of. All my folks could do was keep me away from suspected allergens, keep my room clean (without Lysol), and make sure they watched me for a bad attack. I would not be here today if my parents had not been so "unconventional" as to require that no one ever smoked in our home, brought in cats or mums or real Christmas trees. All that said, the reason for the epi pen is that when some people start their shots, their bodies treat the shot as a big pile of all the allergens they have problems with put together. They do start with weaker serum, then gradually get stronger amounts, but even a small bit could set off an asthma attack, and the epi pen is there "just in case". It is better - and cheaper - than a trip to the emergency room. Most likely though, you will not need to use it. I personally had a strong reaction to Astelin - it lowered my blood pressure. I always thought it was the shots, and it may have been them to some extent. I would feel like I had a hay fever coming on - itchy throat, eyes, etc. and I felt COLD. If your little one feels like this, and tylenol does not fix it after a couple of shots, make sure you call the Dr's office, and see if there is any problem. I waited so long, trying to tough it out, that I was really feeling bad each time. I knew that the exposure would help me if I could live through it. It did! Now, I have less allergy problems than anyone in my dept. at work. I still avoid the known things that bother me, but if I get a whiff of cut grass or perfume, I do not get hay fever now. If I had had shots when I was little, I would not be allergic to food now either. It escalates - you never grow out of them, they just go dormant, then pile on you all at once later on.

Bottom line - you are right for getting your daughter the shots now, just watch her for the first few months after them, and get the pen for peace of mind.

The Best to you guys,
D.

PS Zyrtec made me sleepy and grouchy - Claritin is the best one if you take it every day, and your brain works fine too. Wal-Mart and Walgreens both sell generic versions of it, and it is the same stuff.

My husband has started the allergy shots and "rush" treatment. They required him to have an "epi pen" or twin ject pen. So far he has reacted well to the shots, although one time about 6 months after he started, he had a severe reaction. He didn't need the Epi but called right away. They took a step back in the shots for a couple of weeks, then began moving forward again. It is a security blanket you hope you never use.

My two sons 2 and 4 have alergies as well. We carry the Twin ject for the oldest due to nuts. Have never had to use it either, but I would rather have it!

Good Luck!

Honest opinion. Do it! It makes such a difference! And yes, the Epi-Pen (or Twinject) is a scary thought. But if you really break it down, you are injecting your body with the allergens to basically desensitize yourself of these allergies, so yes there is a good possibility your body can react & reject the injection. The Epi-Pen is a safety precaution for anaphylaxis. It seems scary, but if your child really reacts to an allergy shot, chances are you will still be in the office waiting your 20 minutes after the shot anyway, and the nurses & MD's know what to do. Plus, if you have to administer Epi, your adreneline won't let you fail! Good luck!